A Faithful Narrative of Thomas Spatchet Under Witchcraft, Chapter 3
Chap. III. Of ot…er Swingling, and Wringing Fits.
IF he were upon his Feet in the time of th… moderate shaking, and made any offer to go, he could go no way but backward, and so he could go, and hardly keep from running, he could not readily stay himself; if he sought to set a step forward, either his trouble would strike inward and then he should look gashly as a Dead Man (yet not sensible of sickness) his Spirits exceedingly quenched, failing and yielding as when a Man is giving up the Ghost; or else he was necessitated to go sidewise in the manner aforementioned.
Or else he was Swing…ed round, round, round, till he fell down, if none were by him to hold him up. If any attempted to stay him when he was in the said motion, and before he was ready to fall▪ he so attempting though a strong man) would also be swingled round, round▪ like a Feather, untill he fell off.
Yet at some times (before Swingling) if he would force himself to stand still he could, but if he would go it must be those ways: stirring sometimes to go forward two or three steps, he should be forced as many more backward and sometimes his leggs crossed, thus he hath tryed half an hour together and could not get forward the breadth of a house, but giving liberty to himself then to go backward, he could go with great swiftness that way. Sometimes lifting up his foot to go streight on, his leg hath been lifted up a great height and must stand there, he could not get it down again whilst one might go near forty paces, this was but seldom, the other often.
In the Winter 1693. then it came to a Continual shaking like a Palsy head and body, and not many violent Fits, but shaking all the day long, from the time of his rising, till night six or seven a Clock, and then went off with a sharp shaking Fit.
At the beginning of the shaking he could neither eat nor drink, nor all the day long, till it was off at night about six a Clock; afterward he could eat, if he would walk up and down in the House eating. If he felt those nippings in his head, he must keep it in his Mouth untill the fear and amazement was over, and then chew aud swallow it down, and thus by degrees he could eat a Supper; but if he ceased walking and sate down (as many times he did for tryal) by that time he had eaten 8 or 9 Morsels either he could not rise off the Seat he fate on, or could not speak, or else could not keep the Seat, by reason of Violent shaking, and thus it continued about 16 or 17 Weeks.
Some that sympa…hized with him in this condition, did set some time apart to wait upon God in Prayer, on his behalf, and then was there a cessation of these Fits, as an Eminent return of Prayer.
After that for the space of ten days he had a respite, an intermission or breathing time, a little reviving in this Bondage, and then they came to their former course again, as to stamping, shaking and skipping in the usual manner, but not exceeding 8 Fits in a Week, whereas before he had 8 or 10 or 12 or more in a day; this was in the Summer time.
Afterwards they ceased from shaking Fits, and came to Wringing Fits. His Hands lying one upon or in another would Wring one out of the other▪ and then the fore finger would rise up first, and so the rest one after another, till all met, viz. the Fore-finger of one hand with the fore-finger of the other hand, the Second finger of one hand with the second of the other, and so for the rest; at some times they would be spread abroad finger from finger of the same hand so wide as if one would have been rent from the other. When they were all met as aforesaid, then they would gradually by a slow motion be raised above the Crown of his hat, till his hands clasped both together fast about his Neck, and then were Immovable till they did of their own accord remove, and then they were wrung Backward, and the Palms of his hands turned upward at his Back, and then were carried by degrees under his Arm-holes till they met right behind, and were carried up to his Shoulders, with much Pain and so as a Crashing about the Joynts hath been heard by standers by; these Fits are so Terrible as he felt them a great while after, and doth to this Day: then they were brought back again▪ the one hand to his Mouth then to his Eye, and the other stretched out as if he had been shooting in a Bow drawing it to the utmost; after tha… one hand would be carried right up as high as possible spread open, and the other right down at the same time, till it hath woun'd about part of the Chair; afterward that which was upward came downward, and that which was downward went upward as before, then sometimes wrung about with various motions unutterable, as if his Arms would have been wre…ted, re…t and torn from his Body.
After …his, his hands would be still▪ unless he forced them to his Thighs, and then they would fly out and beat one against another very smartly, and he dur… not seek to alter the motion. Or if one hand did at any time get hold of the other, it was so wrung as if it would tear it in pieces; If any did seek to hold him in a Chair (though he were a man of strength) yet he was easily cast off, and it added to his affliction, made it the more fierce if any attempted to stop the Motion▪
Above half an hour would these Wringing Fits continue, and all that while no shaking.
When his hands had done, then his head was wrung the one way, and his mouth the other contrary way, the former so far till he did see right behind him, and there stood a Considerable time; then his head would be turned the other way till he saw right behind, and his Mouth not so drawn, and thus backward and forward Five or Six times; after that his head would be still, and his Body wrung almost off the Chair, and then the Fit ceased. His Legs have some times been drawn under the Foot of the Chair, and there set fast for a Considerable time. Every Day he had one of these Fits.
Some Christian Friends being deeply affected with his Condition, did betake themselves again to Prayer, where he was present, and was in all those Motions; in the time of Prayer he was put upon kneeling down, and did so for some time, and had (as he phraseth it) a Nip in his Head, whereupon he started up, and almost struck one down which stood by, yet the work of Prayer went on. He was then put upon bowing his Body (without pulling off his Hat) and moving his Hand like a great Complimenter, also upon drawing as at a Bow, Skipping, Wringing, and such like, being set on a Chair, endeavoured to gather up his Legs (being turned sidewise) and his Head was Bowed backward, his Mouth strained wide open at such a distance as if his Jaws should have been …ent asunder; his Tongue being doubled in his Mouth, his whole Body was hoysed up; being set down again in the Chair, he brake forth into Roaring out in a hideous and Dreadful manner till he was almost spent and like a dying-man, and another while he made a blowing with his Mouth and Nostrils, that the noise thereof was like that of the Smiths Bellows when stirred▪ which Actions were a gre…t disturbance, yet they went on in seeking the Lord, till he sate still and quietly among them; and although he heard but the sound of the Words, could not give attention or use affection, by reason of his Extremities in his Fits; Yet the Lord appeared here also as a God hearing prayers; and was intreated by others for him, so far as that from that very day for the spac… of two and twenty weeks he had a freedom from Shaking, & Wringing fits; …nly when he hath adventured to joyn with others in Prayer▪ or such exercises; he hath found such disablement and shatterings as were first mentioned, but injoyed immunity f…om those dreadful fits which before he was molested with.
Also he had an enlargement of his Spiritual Liberty in some degree from this time; for, whereas for a great while together▪ he could not read four verses of a Chapter, nor hardly write his o…n name, without dreadful affrightments and amazements, loss of Speech and other sad symptoms; that Summer and especially since that two and twenty weeks, he hath been able to rea… either the Scriptures or other Books; sometimes an hour together, and could also write, mostly without weariness▪
Before I pass on, I shall briefly hint what the frame of his Spirit, was as to matter of experience, under these terrible dispensations.
He was desirous to see friends, but it was a great trouble to him, that when they went about any Religious exercise he must go away, and this hath so affected him as by the working of his a… fections he hath been cast into fits.
But the way which the Lord did ordinarily lead his heart in, was to be quiet under his hand, and to submit to his will patien… ly; leaving him to his own time for deliverance if he saw it good for him, and this he found when he was under the most violent fits: In his greatest extremity there was such a bo…edness to the Divine Will, as he could as willingly sit down in the Chai… to receive a fit from the hand of the Lord, as rise out of the Chair when it was off.
And the thoughts of that, did often encourage him in his fits▪ viz.
[Lord thou knowest when it is enough, and thou knowest when to make a cessation▪ I leave it unto thee.]
And sometimes upon the account of Divine …rerogative; his heart hath been quieted: he may do wi…h his Creatures what he pleaseth, and there hath been deserved infinitely more. Such hath been the mercy of God towards him, that for the most part his body was more tryed out, than his Spirit. Only twice he found a little working of discontent.
Once he had some fear lest that quiet which he had, should be but a carnal quiet, through the carelesness of his own Spirit
It pleased the Lord presently to leave him to some discontent of Spirit about it, and at that time his Fits were not by many degrees so high as formerly or since; this frame continued but a day and a night, and the next morning after the Lord convinced him of the evil of it, that he had been discontented with his hand, when he lay'd it so lightly upon him, in comparison of what he experienced formerly; he saw wisdom, goodness and mercy in God, even in leaving him to be discontented; the Lord turned this to his good and helped him against it, letting him see that contentment cometh from him; it is of the Lord to make a man contented in any Affliction: Content was the Lords and none of his, he could not quiet his own Spirit.
Another time after he injoyed some respite from fits, and God had been often sought concerning it; he found a great unwillingness to come under the yoke again; he considered the manner of the affliction, that God did strike at him in respect of his Ordinances that if he came near where he was worshiped, then he did strike with heavier stroaks than at other times; upon the return of his fits after some weeks respite, he had such workings of heart as these; the People of God generally sought the Lord, and he denyed Prayer, yea God himself excommunicated and shut him out, it was a dark dispensation.
Immediately after these thoughts he had this as a quiet to his Spirit [wait on the Lord, and wait for God.] It is better to wait for God in the want of a mercy sometimes, than to injoy a mercy we desire; for while we are waiting upon God for mercy desired we are honouring of God, but while we injoy mercy desired God is honouring of us.
And this Scripture came to his thought, Hab. 2.3. The Vision is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak wait for it— Vision is of dark things, these are to be waited for: His unwillingness now was removed, and his heart brought in some measure, to wait upon and for God, though it were a dark dispensation▪ God would give deliverance if he did see it good.
He was wonderfully quieted and made willing to submit to the will of God; and unless these two times he hath not found such discontent and thus the Lord did help him over it, and his fits returned to their old course again.